11/01/2004

WALL POSTS BIG BONUS TO INVADERS

Wall Township Speedway operations manager Joe Lewandoski is so impressed with the talent at his third mile paved oval that he is putting his “money where his mouth is.” Lewandoski says that if any invading team, meaning a team made up of a car, car-owner and driver not from New Jersey, can beat his “Jersey Dirty Dozen” to the checker flag to win the Turkey Derby 125 for Tour Type Modifieds, he will pay them a $1,500 bonus. Lewandoski then went on to say that if any invading team, meaning a legal SK, B or NY State Sportsman/Modified, can beat his Wall Speedway regulars to the checker flag to win the companion Turkey Derby 100 for Wall Modifieds, he will pay them a $1,000 bonus.

 “The history of this race is great,” Lewandoski says. “And that history shows that only one true invader, George Kent, came in here and beat the locals. I’ve gotten to know these guys and they are tough and fast. I’m betting that they will stand their ground and turn the invaders away without a win.”

 Turkey Derby XXXI is scheduled for the daylight hours on Friday and Saturday, November 26 and 27.

 Lewandoski’s “Jersey Dirty Dozen” in the Tour Type Modified 125 is impressive. A trio of NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series regulars, John Blewett III, Jamie Tomaino and Brian Cranmer, lead the list. Reggie Ruggiero, the winner of this season’s NASCAR Series race at the third mile paved oval, will join the “home team” as he pairs with Jersey car-owner legend Dick Barney in the Big Red No. 41.

 Former Wall Speedway open Modified champion and Race Of Champions Tour standout Pete Brittain has also inked an entry form and has joined the “home team,” as have fellow ROC Tour standouts Jim Willis and Richie Crompton. Ken Woolley, Jr. and Shanon Mongeau, both Wall regulars, will be stepping it up for the Tour Type Modified race, while third generation driver Michael Bohn and the family act of Anthony and Amanda Sessley round out the Jersey drivers currently registered for the Tour type Modified event.

 Almost all of the Wall Modified regulars have registered for the companion 100-lap event. Still, several drivers will see double duty as John Blewett, Jamie Tomaino, Pete Brittain, Ken Woolley, Jr. and Shanon Mongeau are slated to compete in both championship races.

An innovative qualifying format for both the Tour Type Modifieds and the Wall/SK/B Modifieds has earned a lot of favorable attention.

 In an effort to draw as many cars as possible in both Modified classes, while still offering fans plenty of meaningful racing, Lewandoski says that the top 14 drivers from time trials in each division will go directly into their respective main events. Two B Mains will then be contested by cars in each division that did not make the field through time trials. Each B Main will advance five cars into the feature race fields. Four provisional starters, determined from guaranteed starters or the fastest time trial runners who do not qualify through the B mains, will fill out each 28-car field.

 The “Turkey Derby 125” for the Tour-Type Modifieds offers the fans 125-laps of green flag racing, while offering the drivers $5,000 to win and $500 to take the green flag. The “Turkey Derby 100” for the Wall/SK/B Modifieds will offer 100-laps of green flag racing with the winner pocketing $2,500 and $150 offered for starting the event.

 On Friday, November 26th, competitors in all seven Turkey Derby divisions will see action. Legend Cars, TQ Midgets and Truck Series racers will battle in both qualifying and main event action, while the Tour Type Modifieds and Wall/SK/B Modifieds compete in time trials. The Pro Stocks and Street Stocks will compete in heat races on Friday to qualify for Saturday’s main events.

 On Saturday, November 27, the Tour-Type Modifieds and the Wall/SK/B Modifieds will take to the track in the B Mains. Once the fields are set, the Tour Type Modifieds will race in their 125-lapper, the Wall/SK/B Modifieds will compete in their 100-lapper and the Pro Stocks and Street Stocks will each race in a 40-lap main event.

 Wall Township Speedway is located on Rt. 34, less than a mile north of Garden State Parkway exit 98 and Interstate 195 exit 35b. For more information on Wall Township Speedway call the speedway hotline at 732-681-6400 or visit the website at www.wallspeedway.com.

Sources:  Jeff Gravatt/Wall Township Speedway PR
Posted:  November 1, 2004